I don't think this has anything to do with the economy. This seems to me to be move by PBUC to have a "stable" of on-call guys that they know are working a reasonably high caliber of wood bat baseball while they are waiting for a slot to open up in the minor leagues. I think the logic behind this move is reasonably clear from a PBUC standpoint.

The effects of this move on all of those involved are much more complicated. I don't know how many umpires were on the staff of the CPL but it was definitely over 20 umpires as the league stretched through 3 states including my home state of NC. I know guys affected by this move and the only one I have spoken to is not happy. I can think of several guys I know who work in my American Legion association who also work CPL. Will they be effecting how many AL games I work this summer? I don't know.

Pete Bock is the president of the CPL. Pete was an umpire in college baseball (as well as GM for the Durham Bulls) when I was an undergrad. I would hope he considered the effects on all those involved before he agreed to this...

Lawrence

I think a wait and see attitude may be best here. Depending on how things go (to date at least one reserve has been called) it may end up less an issue than we think.

From prior experience I would guess that at least 1/2 the reserve list will either decide not to umpire CPL or will be called up to MiLB by June. It's not uncommon to lose, for a multitude of reasons, several short season / A umpires between spring training & July.

That's when it is likely to get interesting in and for the CPL.

It will depend on the final agreement. Initial plans called for replacing those reserves who got called up with other reserves to maintain a certain number of MiLB umpires. Should they run out of PBUC reserves, it was mentioned that they may ask the school for names of other grads who did not make it to PBUC to maintain that number

It sounds as if PBUC is preparing a statement on this and some clarification could be forthcoming.

Hi Garth:

Is the aforementioned effecting your son?

Also, in your opinion depending upon what happens will the PRO Schools start to lose potential umpires because the PBUC will be conducting their own training?

OR

will baseball start to draw Professional officials the way football / basketball do.

Thanks

Pete Booth

No, the CPL issue involves this year's reserves and possibly a few pro school grads who did not attend PBUC. It affects the amateur umpires who formerly worked CPL the most.

My son and I do not discuss political issues. I enjoy watching him work and learning about new mechanics and rule enforcement from him, but I don't debate union or PBUC issues with him. He's the pro umpire in the family, not me, and those issues affect his life, not mine.

Matt's just a second year guy and wants to concentrate on getting better and moving up. He has his opinions, but pretty much confines them to the AMLU meetings and fellow AMLU members.

If PBUC, as first rumored, allows reservists who worked CPL but who did not get a contract to come back to PBUC the following season without returning to proschool, it will reduce the number of spots that the two school have to offer their grads. This is obviously a concern to both schools.

Some feel that this is the second step in MLB/MiLB efforts to take over the training of umpires; the first being "Camp Compton." I don't know how true that is. It's interesting though, that despite the "Major League" hype about Camp Compton, the instructors were primarily Evans and Wendlestedt instructors. The MLUmpires, according to one ML official, were "window dressing."

Yes it does affect CPL umpires a great deal. Many of those umpires have been working in the CPL since its inception eleven years ago. Many depended on the income from those games to supplement a variety of things. Many used the CPL as a way to hone their abilities.

It will be very interesting to see what happens when umpires who did not attend PBUC (ie, the guys not good enough to be honors grads) begin working the CPL. While the level of baseball may be similar to that which first year umpires may experience, handling college "all star" teams is a very different matter than handling professional teams with big clubs laying down rules for acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Read. It's right there in front of you, Booth and it has beeb for years now. MLB wants to control their umpires cradle to grave. They want to dump the fat ones, get more minorities, etc. MLB is going to shoot the old schools and their Old Guard in the head.

One reason is this redikulous reserve against replay and technology. Old Gurad stuff that will, thenk the Lord, do them in.

Here is where I pray that Dummie Reagan was right and that trickle-down works. :D

How, then, does one explain the number of MiLB umpires that have been persuaded to post at Rob Drake's site?

Garth,

The initial info was that it was going to be OK for the pro guys to post. As we have seen the past couple of days MLB has asked Rob to take the site down, so I guess that changed.

My bad. I hadn't looked at it in a couple of weeks. I didn't know it was gone.

I was confused though. A number of MiLB umpires had explained that, as Tom said, the CBA prohibited their participation in public boards. When Rob started requesting they "join" his board, I knew some were hesitant, but followed through when they saw MLB umpires posting there.

It is regrettable that it's gone. RIP.

Challenge
 

Guys, 50 of your breathren are losing their jobs, no fault of their own.
They could play hardball and find how quick the CPL can hire 50 new and improved replacements.
Wouldn't it be better to include those 14 young men in your new group of 64 and mentor them?
I know the concept is stange. But it also allows you the opportunity to set them straight.
If you do a good job, most of them won't show up for the 1st ballgame.
The rest will leave as soon as it gets too hot for them.
Once, your down to 50 again, or accept 1 or 2 of the best of them, its back to baseball for the rest of you.
No one cares about your position, nor your feelings, nor hesitate to find their place on an empty CPL diamond.
There are 100's of other umpires waiting for some opportunity to work in the CPL and your walking out and making room for them.
Just thought I would take the opportunity to mention it 2 months before you walk away from a good thing.

PS: I'm available June thru August. Have place to stay in DC, Knoxville, Raleigh and can rent place in between. :p

You still don't get it.
 

I will try to explain again. I am sorry that I have been ineffective at describing how the CPL has been staffed over the last 11 years. So let me try again:

The CPL hired a staff of 50+ umpires most of whom are D1 staff umpires to work its games. The CPL decided to contract with PBUC instead, for 14 umpires to make up its staff. There is no association that books the CPL, so there is no association for the new 14 to join. The CPL staff was released on mass by the league to make way for the 14 umpires who may or may not have been to the PBUC evaluation camp depending upon how many jobs there ultimately are. The CPL, from what I understand, plans to pay these umpires between $50 and $75 per game. The former CPL staff was paid $125 per man per game.

I hope I have done a better job at making this clear. If I haven't, I will try again.

There are those who care about the positions. No one has asked anyone to care about his feelings. Again, the CPL umpires did not walk out.

If you are interested in working the CPL, while the DC and Knoxville living arrangements probably won't be helpful the Raleigh arrangement may be but I don't see how under the current agreement with PBUC. I would suggest that you contact PBUC or the CPL directly because there is no association, group, chapter, or whatever that has covered or will cover the games in the CPL. Although it is my understanding that you will, at least initially, have to complete the PBUC evaluation camp and failed at getting a job in the game.

Stick around
 

That was a wonderful explanation.